A team of senior officials from the State government visited the sites where the suburban municipalities are carrying out various projects for better handling of solid-waste management.
G. Prakash, commissioner, Municipal Administration; K. Baskaran, director, Rural Development of Panchayati Raj; P. Ponnaiah, Kancheepuram Collector; and M. Elangovan, regional director, Municipal Administration; visited Pallavaram, Tambaram and Sembakkam on Saturday to have first-hand information on the progress of development in solid-waste management.
An official from the Department of Municipal Administration said that municipalities have been implementing various measures in minimising waste sent to landfill sites. The new rules put the onus on the bulk generators of waste, including hotels, markets and resident welfare associations of gated colonies, which would need to segregate waste into wet (biodegradable), dry (plastic, paper, metal, wood or the like) and domestic hazardous (diapers, sanitary napkins, empty containers of cleaning agents, insect repellents, batteries and so on.)
Besides, mandating wet and dry segregation of waste at source, the new rules also require manufacturers of sanitary napkins and diapers to provide pouches for proper disposal. The concept of establishing micro-compost yards, which was introduced by the State government in Vellore Corporation and then in Tiruchi had turned out to be a successful model in solid-waste management. Tambaram Municipality followed suit by commencing construction of 20 smaller micro-compost yards and seven bigger micro-compost yards. Non-degradable plastics were being sent to Tamil Nadu Cement Corporation in Ariyalur by Tambaram, Anakaputhur and Sembakkam municipalities.
